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Generative Artificial Intelligence
Generative Artificial Intelligence (Gen AI) is a branch of Artificial Intelligence (AI) that responds to user prompts. It can generate content including text, images, audio, video and code. Only two Gen AI tools are endorsed by TAFE NSW, these are Microsoft Copilot and Adobe Creative Suite.
Using Gen AI at TAFE NSW
At TAFE NSW, our teachers use Gen AI tools and will discuss in your classes issues around appropriate use in relation to:
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ethics
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privacy
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copyright
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assessments.
It is important to learn about Gen AI and the appropriate and inappropriate uses of it in your study and assessments, to maintain academic integrity. Our libraries run a calendar of events, including trainings on how to use Gen AI.
Only two Gen AI tools are endorsed by TAFE NSW:
- Microsoft Copilot
- Adobe Creative Suite
Use your TAFE NSW login to sign in to these Gen AI tools for your complimentary access.
Building industry-ready skills
Learning how to use generative AI can assist you in your learning and can give you a competitive edge in the job market.
Generative AI can:
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help you to personalise your work
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provide example templates, outlines, graphs and pictures
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improve your digital literacy
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increase your productivity and efficiency
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be used as an assistive tool for learners with diverse needs.
Read our guides on how to use Gen AI to study.
Gaining AI skills
Critical thinking
Using AI tools should help build your critical thinking because you will be:
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analysing the AI-generated information
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comparing it with your knowledge
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checking the original sources and course materials
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discussing it with your teachers.
Digital and AI literacy skills
AI literacy means:
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understanding the role it plays
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knowing how it works
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its strengths
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understanding its strengths and limitations
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having the skills and knowledge to use it responsibly.
You can develop these skills by using new technologies that are helpful in the workplace.
Prompt engineering skills
Learn how to interact with AI tools effectively to get the desired output and the results you need.
Communication skills
Encourage interaction with teachers and peers through classroom or online discussions.
Using AI safely
Each AI tool has its own privacy policy.
Your conversations with Gen AI are stored for further training of the model. These conversations are attached to your user account.
People, not just the AI, are involved in the training of AI models. These people will have access to your data. Therefore, do not upload any confidential or sensitive information about yourself, others or your organisation.
Any content or intellectual property you create or input into these tools will be used to train the model. This means it can be used to generate content for others without giving credit to your work.
Read the Gen AI tool’s privacy policy and turn off data sharing for training, if this option is available. If you upload personal or confidential information, deleting the chat or closing your account won’t stop the data from being used to train the model.
For a more secure experience, use AI tools approved by TAFE NSW, like Microsoft Copilot (formerly Bing Chat Enterprise) and Adobe Creative Suite, and log in with your TAFE NSW credentials.
Changing privacy settings in Gen AI tools
When you use Gen AI like ChatGTP, it uses your data for training, but you can stop them from doing so by changing your account settings.
To do this, in ChatGTP for example, follow the steps below:
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Click on your initials in the top right corner of your screen.
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Click on 'Settings'.
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Select ‘Date controls' in the menu on the left.
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Click ‘Off’ for ‘Improve the model for everyone’.
To take control of your privacy, go to manage your privacy page to:
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download your data
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ask ChatGTP to stop training using your data
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ask ChatGTP to delete your personal data
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request the removal of your personal data from ChatGTP model outputs.
Using AI for assessments
AI-generated content can be biased or inaccurate, so it's important to review it critically and do further research to verify the information. Most AI tools use GPT-4, which was trained on data up to September 2021 and may not come from reliable sources.
Some AI tools within companies are trained only on that company data, but most still use GPT-4 as a base.
Tools like ChatGPT Plus, Gemini and Copilot have internet access for up-to-date information. If your query doesn’t need current information, the tools rely heavily on the trained data.
It is a breach of academic integrity to use Gen AI tools in your student work:
- unless explicitly stated as permitted in the assessment specifications
- if your references fail to acknowledge that content created by Gen AI has been used
- if you are using spell and grammar checkers and you are being assessed on spelling or grammar skills (this includes use of GrammarlyGo).
TAFE NSW does not use Gen AI detection tools to identify inappropriate use. However, where we suspect that a student has not submitted their own work, they may be invited to discuss the content with their teacher. They may also be required to provide evidence, such as drafts and research, to demonstrate their own process of arriving at the solution.
There are no official guidelines yet for citing AI tools in Harvard or APA Style. Until formal guidelines are established, you can follow the suggested citation styles in the Referencing Gen AI Tools section of our Researching and Referencing Guide.
Since AI is rapidly evolving, we recommend checking this page regularly for updates, as the APA and Harvard styles have not confirmed a standard format for citing AI-generated content.
TAFE NSW staff and learners have access to Copilot (formerly known as Bing Chat Enterprise) when they log in with TAFE NSW credentials.
TAFE NSW does not currently subscribe to Copilot for Microsoft 365. However, if you use a personal Microsoft account with access to Copilot, be sure to follow the academic integrity policy and avoid using AI-generated content unless you have explicit permission.
Additional student resources
Below you will find some resources to help you use Gen AI while studying at TAFE NSW:
We’re here to help
Contact us if you have any questions about the use of Gen AI and academic integrity.